The Ashes; Second Test, Lord's, July 16-20

[yorker_129-7]

The major problem with both Cardiff and Lord's was they offered too much for the team batting first and effectively meant the side which lost the toss was out of the game by the end of day 1, with scoreboard pressure and batting mistakes leading to the results.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Don't think there is any reason why England couldn't have matched Australia's first innings score. The conditions were the same. People mention scoreboard pressure, but it's not excusable or inevitable that people succumb to it. It's just one of many psychological difficulties in the game. Like keeping your discipline in the third batting innings when behind, which they again failed to do. Adequate sides don't get blown away, merely by scoreboard pressure, just as they don't get bowled out for 100 when faced with a difficult task in saving the game. If England had been bowled out for 280 by tomorrow lunch, that would have been a different thing altogether.

But, the coach has to become familiar with the players he has. I expect them all to have another chance in Birmingham, to see if they can do better than this. And for Bayliss to better understand what needs to be done.

[hopeforthebest]

I don't think they can continue with a top four that loses wickets so easily. I think one of Bell or Ballance will be replaced and Bairstow, who's CC batting is so compelling, in the side.

[yuppie]

Being bowled out in 37 overs on that pitch is pretty shocking. Just seen some of the dismissals and you have to wonder why the top order played at some of those deliveries. Pretty ordinary batting, and some good bowling. But bowled out in 37 overs in good sunshine whilst the opposition managed to bat for nearly 200 overs for the loss of 10 wickets, that suggest some deeper issues for some of the batsman

[ianp1970]

Back to a results pitch for the next test then. Hang on, we've just had 2 results in under 4 days on flat batting tracks. Next game may not go three.

It'd better, I'm going on the Friday!

[Aidan11]

Glad I was out for the day.

I couldn't have stomached this.

[Aidan11]

Just saw the Ben Stokes run out.

Total schoolboy error not to ground the bat.

[Aidan11]

If the groundsman was under instructions to prepare a corporate 5 day pitch it backfired badly.

[mikesiva]

Just saw the Ben Stokes run out.

Total schoolboy error not to ground the bat.

Shocking, wasn't it?

And Cook going after a ball well wide of the offstump seemed totally unnecessary...was he trying to win the match?

[mikesiva]

If the groundsman was under instructions to prepare a corporate 5 day pitch it backfired badly.

Yes...when I read the English media reports at the end of the first day, I got the impression that this was a dead batting track with dead draw written all over it.

Stunning fast bowling by the Aussie speedsters....

[Aidan11]

Stunning fast bowling by the Aussie speedsters....

I agree. The pitch might have been dead but the Aussies were swinging it in better than we were. At times Anderson and Broad looked like they'd bowled the full day's quota of 90 overs between them.

Catches win matches was also important here. We dropped some crucial catches in this game. Aussies might have still won but it would not have been such a big margin.

[sussexpob]

You pick a team by rolling dice, eventually you get a crap score. England have consistently picked a team that has tactical inadequacies, and it jumped up and bit them this time round.

Back to back tests, and the front line seamers looked tired, and then they fall back on a part time spin option that was struggling to be fit, and a 4th seamer who, lets face it, is starting to challenge Ian Salisbury for the title of England's most useless bowler of the modern era.

When the new ball got old, it got nasty, but then what do we expect??? Ali has struggled to be consider a bowler in CC, and Stokes averages nearly 50. Bowling in tame conditions to a guy who has carted county attacks around for years, the worlds best batsman, and another opener who has a good test record...... talk about turning up to a gunfight with a banana painted in metallic colours. This team is horrible exposed if Broad and Anderson dont take wickets, and with Broad struggling for pace when his workload is pushed, and Anderson never looks fit in back to back games.

So we concede tonnes of runs then play like demented headless chickens with the bat. Its a dead pitch, show a bit of application and fight and block out the match. But no, we showed the stick-ability of the average coalition government in Belgium.

Not that that is surprising. The leadership of this team has been cancerous for a while, and there is nowhere left to go for Cook. No doubt we will get the North Korea style "Ali Cook is superman" crap now, but its clear to see. I applaud his effort in the first dig, but he played the second innings like the match was already over.... he captained from session two like the match was already over.

[sussexpob]

I mean its clear to see that Ballance has technical issues. England need to be ruthless and brave, because why should we wait another 3 tests to make the decision which is clear. Other teams have shown it, now against this attack is being hammered home. Needs sending back.

Lyth I guess deserves more of a look, but like Sam Robson, he is getting out in the same way too many times. Whether he survives the series is a doubt.

Bell...... never looked the same player since 2013, its a tough decision to drop him, but I think his history suggests that in an unstable team dropping him might backfire. But it could be his last series for England if he doesnt score runs soon.

Stokes.... Simply cant pick him in a plan where he bowls.

Ali.... Replace for Rashid.

[captaincolly]

Bob Willis is tweeting his verdicts on the England players, think he's sentencing a few of them to death judging by these scores!
Cook 7/10, Lyth 0/10, Ballance 1/10, Bell 1/10, Root 5/10, Stokes 7/10, Buttler 3/10, Moeen 5/10, Broad 6/10, Wood 3/10, Anderson 3/10.

[Aidan11]

The mark for Anderson is over-generous.

He did absolutely nothing in this test.